So this weekend I am going to keg a batch of Red ale and brew another. I plan on reusing the yeast cake. Historically I've removed the cake, washed it and poured it in the wort after I racked it. I'm making ultamately the same batch, assuming that the carboy is still sanitary and clean from the last batch, could I just pour the cooled wort on top of the cake, aerate and let it go? Would it work or is the risk of contamination to high?
Yeast cake queestion
- Thread starter bambam190
- Start date
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you'd be drastically over-pitching. i'd use this to figure out how much slurry you need and only use that amount: http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html
bigbeergeek
Well-Known Member
Pour out 3/4 of the yeast cake and you're good to go.
+1; all you need is a cup or two of yeast. A lot of people would clean their fermenter as well.
From a sanitation point of view, as long as what you are taking out tastes ok, you should be ok. But as others here have pointed out, you are probably over pitching.
Having just done this two weeks ago, I can tell you the result can be explosive. I put an Irish Red ale (OG 1.058) onto a yeast cake from a brown ale. It was bubbling within an hour, and had blocked the blow off tube and popped the lid within 7 hours. I was cleaning beer off the ceiling at 2am in the morning. Could only get the lid to stay on the next morning when it calmed down enough to use the airlock.
Thankfully the batch didn't get infected, and I will be bottling it today. It tastes brilliant already.
I now have thicker tubing for the blow off tube.
Thankfully the batch didn't get infected, and I will be bottling it today. It tastes brilliant already.
I now have thicker tubing for the blow off tube.
Update:
after all of your input we opted to use a clean carboy & used about 1/4 of the cake. We saved the rest of the cake for future batches (reds are always on tap in our place so we produce alot).
I figured after I dumped the bulk of it out anyway what am I really saving, the risk of contamination was greater then the time saved by recycling with out damage.
As always, thank you all for your imput, this site is a wealth of knowledge!
after all of your input we opted to use a clean carboy & used about 1/4 of the cake. We saved the rest of the cake for future batches (reds are always on tap in our place so we produce alot).
I figured after I dumped the bulk of it out anyway what am I really saving, the risk of contamination was greater then the time saved by recycling with out damage.
As always, thank you all for your imput, this site is a wealth of knowledge!
